Centennial - News

Arizona Centennial: Pre-statehood

Feb. 17, 2011 12:30 PM

Pre-statehood

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A border marker references the Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty.

1848

By Michael Clancy / The Arizona Republic

The land we now know as the century-old state of Arizona was part of Mexico just 162 years ago. Tucson, founded as a walled encampment in 1775, was thriving by the time Arizona entered the United States. War with Mexico, primarily over Texas, resulted in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war and brought into the United States the portion of Arizona north of the Gila River. The Gadsden Purchase of 1854 completed the addition of Arizona to the United States. For the next nine years, Arizona was part of the New Mexico Territory. The Arizona Territory was established in 1863.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Apache Indian leader Geronimo in 1887.

1849-1900

Once Arizona lands became part of the United States, the military quickly followed, both to protect the border with Mexico and to protect settlers from Indians. As in most of the country, the Indians were defeated during the next 50 years, and relegated to reservations. The Navajo Reservation was established in 1869; the San Carlos Apache Reservation two years later. The earliest military camps were developed as early as 1851, with Fort Defiance on the Navajo Reservation. Fort Huachuca, established in 1877, is the only one that remains active as a military base.

Photo courtesy of Arizona Department of Library, Archives and Public Records

Steam tractor hauling ore and other minerals to Fairbank, Ariz.

1863

Some of the largest mineral discoveries, notably gold and silver, were made in the mountains around Prescott and Wickenburg. Although minerals had been discovered earlier, with commercial support, the central Arizona discoveries are the first to show profitability. Copper discoveries were made around the same time and in subsequent years. These mines became the state's best-known and most profitable, with operations ongoing in several counties.

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John Wesley Powell speaks with a Native American during Powell's second Colorado River expedition.

1869

John Wesley Powell was a Civil War veteran with an urge to explore the American West. His boat trip through Canyon Country, ending at the foot of the Grand Canyon, remains one of the great sagas of Western exploration. Lake Powell is named for the explorer.

Photo by Jim Walsh

A thrasher is used by farmers to harvest wheat in Lehi.

1877

Mormon settlers reached central Arizona, establishing Lehi, which later became part of Mesa. The settlers were part of a larger movement by Utah Mormons to expand their territory. They established settlements, including what later became the polygamist community of Colorado City, along the Arizona Strip as early as the late 1850s. Besides Lehi and Mesa, early Mormon pioneers established Gilbert, Heber, Eagar, St. Johns and Snowflake.

Photo courtesy of Arizona Images

A Southern Pacific engine.

1880

The Southern Pacific Railroad reached Tucson from the west, bringing the first Chinese people into Arizona and signaling Arizona's connection with the rest of the nation. A year and a half later, the Southern Pacific was completed as the nation's second intercontinental railroad. The Santa Fe Railroad crossed northern Arizona two years later. The arrival of trains marked what is generally considered the end of the pioneer era.

Arizona Republic

"Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" by Ben Carlton Mead

Oct. 26, 1881

The gunfight at the O.K. Corral has become possibly the state's most famous single event -- and the Old West's most famous gunfight -- as the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday squared off against the Clanton and McLaury brothers, along with a friend, Billy Claiborne. History shows a long period of bad blood between the groups. To this day, Tombstone -- and the O.K. Corral -- remains a tourist mecca for those interested in the Old West.

Photo courtesy of Arizona Images

Arizona State Capitol, 1700 W. Washington.

1881

By the time Phoenix was incorporated, the community already had churches, schools and a post office. Other early highlights for the city would follow in coming years. The city became the territorial capital in 1889. The capitol building, which still is in use, was built in 1901. The Arizona Republican opened in 1890, and the city's oldest hospital, St. Joseph's, in 1895.

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"Old Main," one of the original buildings of the Tempe Normal School, in 1898.

1886

The Arizona Territory established its first college, Tempe Normal School, which opened with 33 students. It became Arizona State College in 1945, then Arizona State University in 1958. The University of Arizona opened in 1891, and Northern Arizona State Teachers College in 1899.

Photo courtesy of Arizona Images

Roosevelt Dam in 1911.

1903

A national law provided low-interest federal loans for water-reclamation projects, and the settlers of the Salt River Valley took advantage. They formed the Salt River Valley Water Users Association in this year, and commenced building the Roosevelt Dam to control the river, the primary water source for Phoenix and other communities. The dam was completed in 1911, a year before statehood, and it set the stage for the Phoenix area's growth in the next century.